Anonymous
by lil-lies.nmore
Summary: Tony is tired of being defined as a famous billionaire superhero. So he takes one night off to find the 'Real Tony'; the man behind the money and the mask. Only, instead he finds Steve, a handsome and shy stranger, who has no idea who his new friend, Tony, actually is. Which is only fair, since Tony doesn't know who Steve is either... Warnings inside. Slash


Anonymous

Warning: slash

I would like to appologize in advance for any and all spelling and/or grammatical errors. I have no computer (it thought it would be fun to break down on me!) and am doing this all on my phone. Not recommended to attempt! I just haven't posted anything in such a long time, I was getting antsy and needed to post SOMETHING! So, I had an idea for a new story, and decided to just be crazy and type it all up on my phone, and hope for the best. I have so much other stuff writen (including more chapters in my other stories) I just can't get it from there to here!

The idea for this story came to me after watching a re-run episode of "How I Met Your Mother", while my brain was in "Avengers" mode, as it usually is!

This story begins after Iron Man 2, and before the Avengers. Pepper and Tony are not together (they tried it out, it didn't work, they're better off friends... Just go with it!). Steve and Tony know of each other, especially their superhero sides, but have never met or seen each other.

Feedback and Reviews are my friends! Don't deprive me of having friends!

Chapter 1

A quiet, uneventful, calm and ordinary evening was all Tony wanted. Just for one night he wanted a break from the media hounds, terrorists, business, inventions, and government.

A break from Iron Man.

A break from life.

So he shut down shop and told JARVIS to take the night off. He put on a casual pair of jeans, his favourite ACDC t-shirt, an old leather jacket, and well-worn sneakers. He then hopped into his car, and drove. Nowhere in mind, not a single destination planned. He just drove, windows down, music playing loud enough to distract his mind from all those things he should be focused on, but just too tired to care about. This was his night off. He wasn't going to think about life, and duties, and responsibilities, and expectations of the one and only Tony Stark.

Because he was tired. He was full out exhausted. If he wasn't defending himself and his suit to the government, he was saving the lives of those same people fighting against him. If he wasn't saving lives, he was runnong a billion dollar company and keeping thousands of people employed. If he wasn't running Stark Industries, he was in his lab creating the latest and greatest invention to make the world a cleaner and safer place. If he wasn't working on his projects, he was being harassed, chased, and questioned by any and all media outlets that could catch up to him. And if he wasn't busy dodging the media, he was busy dodging everyone else.

His friends; Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy. As well as Nick Fury, Natasha, Coulson, and anyone else from SHEILD.

Tony felt bad for wanting to avoid all of them (ok, he felt bad for avoiding his friends. The SHEILD crew, not so much), especially his closest friend, Pepper. However, all of them were really beginning to get on his nerves. Like they all wanted a peice of him, and had these unattainable expectations of him. Lately, whenever Tony was with any of his friends, it would be as thouvh they only saw him as Stark Industries CEO Tony Stark, or the great hero Iron Man.

And yes, he knew that is how people saw him, because he's Tony-Fucking-Stark, which means he is both of those things! Only, he wanted his friends to see past that. For them to treat him differently from the way everyone else did.

He wanted them to see Tony. The real man. Not just the image.

Only, Tony wasn't quite sure who the real man was anymore. He had worked so hard to build this other side of him up, the side the public saw, that it's no surprise his friends only saw that too. Hell, it's all Tony himself saw anytime he looked in a mirror. Did the 'Real Tony' even exist anymore? Or had he been overtaken by the 2 other, larger than life, sides of himself?

That is exactly why he needed this. A night out. A night off. A night to himself, where he could rediscover who he is, and find the Real Tony again.

So he drove. For hours. Around the block, then around the city. He drove down country roads just outside of the bright lights and high-rises, before making his way back to the city streets once more.

And hours later, when he grew tired of driving, Tony parked his car and walked.

It was late enough that most families were home, children tucked tightly into bed. But still early enough for people to be bustling around the sidewalks.

This is what Tony loved most about the city. No matter the time of day or night there were always people around, living their lives.

Feeling better already just being out and about in the city streets, nobody bothering him, Tony was able to walk a little easier.

Scanning his surroundings, Tony realised he made his way into a park. What park it was, he didn't have a clue, and in all honesty didn't care. There were a lot of people around, an amateur football game in the field next to him, young couples holding hands as they passed by, runners out for a late night jog.

Deciding to take a bit of a break from all the walking (he was trying to clear his head, not burn calories), Tony spotted a bench next to the field. Casually making his way over, he pulled out his phone as he sat down, and snorted as he checked the screen. 6 missed calls, 4 voicemails, and 13 text messages. Most were from Pepper, however there was one text from Rhodey, and one text from Happy.

Reading Rhodey's text first, Tony smirks and shakes his head at his friend asking him to 'please call Pepper back so she can stop calling me!', but its Happy's "She's bat-shit crazy! Pick up your damn phone!" that has Tony throwing his head back to laugh.

"Must have been a funny message." And Tony nearly fell off the bench as someone spoke next to him.

Turning to look at the man who spoke, Tony's silent, reflective night came to an end.

"Shit, man! When did you get there? What are you, a ninja? And excuse me, but I am kinda having a private moment with my phone here, and while you are an extremely good looking man, and i don't at all mind you wanting to join in on my night, because, well, look at you! But it's still not polite to invite yourself into a strangers private conversation, or so I've been told. I've never actually been one to pay attentiom to proper rules of society, if you know what I mean?"

The blank stare Tony revieved in return told Tony the man did not know what he meant. Also, the blush and bashful look the handsome man was now sporting had Tony quite curious.

"Sorry if I weirded you out by calling you good looking, but seriously, not hard to miss unless you're blind." A shy smile in return, and Tony grins back. No way this guy is straight. "And I'm really not the type to shy away from the truth. I tell it like it is."

"Thank you," the other man said, "and you didn't weird me out. I'm just not used to people being so forward."

Tony laughed again, "Well, we know I'm not exactly the same as other people."

The man gave Tony a confused look, "What do you mean? Because most people don't speak their mind?"

Tony was taken aback. Was this guy serious? Of course that's not what he meant! He meant because he's a billionare who spends his free time flying around in a metal suit! But then Tony looked closer at the man; Really looked. And he realized there was not a sparkle of recognition in the other man's face. This gorgeous, buff, hot as hell man had no idea who Tony was. Yet he was still talking to him, seemed interested in talking to him.

Tony smiled his first real smile in months.

Just to make sure he didn't miss any sign on the other man's face, Tony looked the man in the eye and held out his hand.

"I'm Tony."

Nothing. No recognition from the other man. Just a large, friendly smile as he grasped Tony's hand.

"Steve. It's nice to meet you, Tony."

And there is Chapter 1! Let me know what you think!


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